Pages

AdSense

Friday, 28 April 2017

This is something I have been wanting to blog about for so long but I wanted to use it for a while first and properly work out if I liked it and what was good and bad about it before I did. So I've been using it for about a month now, I actually mentioned it in my Superdrug and Boots Beauty Haul and I've been using it instead of my Real Techniques Complexion Sponge.

As much as I love my Real Techniques brushes and complexion sponge, the sponge was just disgusting and there was no saving it so when looking for a new one in Superdrug, I spotted their version of it and I decided to give that a go instead. It was under £4 at the time and cheaper than the Real Techniques one and as I'd heard good things about it before, I thought why not try it?

First of all I love the packaging. I know it's just simple and basic but that's what I like about it. It's not really a product that requires really fancy packaging and I just really like that about it! I also love the colour of the sponge and the size. When I first took this out of the packaging, I was surprised at how heavy it was. It was much heavier than the complexion sponge and when I first started using it I did sort of feel like I was hitting myself in the face! It took some getting used to but now it's fine and it's not something I really notice anymore. When it comes to applying my foundation with it, it's been really, really good! I've been so impressed. It gives me such good coverage and I love the finished look it gives me compared to a normal foundation brush. I've been wetting this first like you're supposed to (I didn't do this most of the time with my Real Techniques sponge) and I've found that has helped with applying so much. There are no streaks or anything with using a sponge and because of the tip you get in the corners around your eyes and nose so really I have no complaints! I love using this so much, much more than my normal foundation brush and I actually think it's better than the Real Techniques sponge. I've not tried the official beauty blender so I have no idea how it would compare to that but to say how reasonably priced it is and how impressed I've been, I can't see myself switching from this anytime soon.

Have you tried the Superdrug Blending Sponge? If you have what did you think? and if not, what do you like to use to apply your foundation?

Thursday, 27 April 2017

Last week I received a lovely little package from Anatomicals to review and blog about. Anatomicals are a skincare brand who sell products for your face and body, all in quirky and out there packaging which I just love! They sell a whole range of products ranging from body cleansers, haircare items to facial moisturisers and so many more things.

I had seen Anatomicals online quite a few times and always loved the look of them, their packaging is just the best! but I had never got round to buying anything so I was so excited to see what all of these products were like. I was sent a selection of products to review and all of them I've been really impressed with.

Face Masks

The first of all the products I wanted to try was the face masks! My skin can be a bit sensitive so I was a little worried if they might react badly but every product from Anatomicals has been fine on my skin and I really had nothing to worry about. The first one I tried was Anti-Blemish one. My skin has been so bad the last few weeks and I was in desperate need of something to sort it out. I only ended up using about half this sachet and that was plenty, I left it to dry for 10 minutes then washed off and afterwards my skin honestly felt so soft. It also felt just as good the next day and I really did start to see in an improvement in my skin. A few days later I tried the Tropical Hydrating Face Mask as I'd had an awful nights sleep and really needed waking up, I thought this would really refreshing and it was. This was so nice because it contains coconut water along with papaya and pineapple extract to cleanse and also cocoa seed butter and soybean extracts which leaves your skin feeling so soft. I used half of this and left on 15 minutes before washing off. I really did feel a bit more alive and awake when I washed this off! The last thing I tried out of these three was the Apricot Scrub. I love using a scrub on my face as I always feel so clean and fresh afterwards. This was just amazing. I expected it to be a clear scrub but it was almost mud like which I quite liked as I could really see where I was applying it and I properly covered my face in it. I love rubbing this into my skin and I just felt like I was really getting rid of anything bad on there if that makes sense. After I washed this off, my skin felt incredible! I think this is my favourite of the 3, I can't even put into words how soft my face felt. These are available in a pack of 3 here!

Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

I had never used a hair mask before until this one, but I'm so glad I had this to try. My hair is in awful condition and I really don't think I look after it very well so this was very much needed. First of all it smells incredible! It has a really strong scent of coconuts which I love because it lasted even after washing it out, for hours. I used this in between my shampoo and conditioner and just really rubbed it in making sure all my hair was covered. I then left it for 5 minutes then rinsed out. Normal conditioner makes my hair feel soft and nice but combined with this, it felt the best it ever has. I could tell it had really done something and it just made my hair feel so silky.

Help The Paw Hand Cream

I love a good hand cream and this one is no exception. It's just like any other hand cream really, leaves your skin feeling soft and clean and has a really nice scent to it. It's a perfect size so can go in your handbag to use when you're out or at work, or it could be left in your bathroom to use after you've washed your hands or on your bedside table which is where I'm planning on keeping mine. Available here for £3.49.

Snog Me Senseless Mints

I love anything minty so these were such a perfect little addition. I always like to carry round chewing gum or mints when I'm out as you never know what you might eat or drink and I love having that minty fresh breath. One of these was enough for that lovely mintiness so these are going to last me ages! These will be perfect to keep in my pocket when we're away next week.

No Old Bags Allowed Eye Gel

I never really apply anything around my eyes but over the last week these have actually been a bit of a saviour for me. When I've had a bad nights sleep, which has started happening quite a bit again recently, I wake up feeling awful and my skin just feels horrible, especially around my eyes. I've been putting a little bit of this gel under my eyes and gently rubbing in each morning and it has been so refreshing! A few dabs of this does the job and it rubs in really well, it didn't feel sticky in any way, just woke me up a little and made my skin and eyes feel so awake. I love this.

I absolutely love every single thing I was sent, and I wouldn't just say that. I'm so glad I got to try some of their products out, they were all so kind to my skin and the face masks and eye gel especially were so refreshing and just made my skin feel really nice. I briefly mentioned at the start of this post their packaging but I've got to say it again how much I love it. It's bright, colourful and out there and I love the words on each one. When I first took everything out the bag they arrived in, I had a good laugh at the hair mask one. I love how unique it all is and it just stands out from a lot of other skincare brands. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase Anatomicals products in the future, I've been so impressed. If you want to try anything out, check out their website here and you can also buy on Asos and Superdrug, brilliant prices too!

Have you ever tried anything from Anatomicals? If you have, what did you think? Do you love the packaging like me?

*I was sent a selection of products to try out, I geuinely love everything and only work with brands I feel are relevant to me and my blog. Affiliate links are used in this post

Wednesday, 26 April 2017

I wanted to talk about something that I've seen a lot about online recently - the quarter life crisis. I first read about it in a magazine last month and since then I've seen blog posts on it and so many articles online and I've found I've related to everything that I've read. The quarter life crisis, as it's says on wikipedia is a period of life ranging from twenties to thirties, in which a person begins to feel doubtful about their own lives, brought on by the stress of becoming an adult. I'm sure they'll be a few people who've just read that and instantely like me, thought yep I'm having a quarter life crisis, and they'll probably be others who think this blog post is just stupid, but I'm genuinely just stuck at the moment with everything and really don't know what I want to do with my life.

I don't really know where to start with why I'm feeling like this and I don't really know where this post is going, sometimes I just need to type and get everything out even if it doesn't really make any sense. I've been feeling a bit lost for a while, but especially the last few months. I always try to have a plan in place, I like routine and I like knowing whats ahead but at the moment I'm all over the place. I was in a good routine with work last year until it all went wrong and since then I've kind of just been going through life waiting for something good to happen. Because everything that happened with work was because of stress and anxiety, I knew I was in no way ready to just start looking for another job, I decided last year I was going to start looking in March 2017, I had hoped by then I might be a bit more myself and have my anxiety under control. How wrong was I. I'd say at the moment my anxiety is on par with how it was when it first started in Leicester and it was horrific then. Some days are better than others and on those days I feel like I can do anything but a lot of the time I just either want to stay in bed or it's a struggle to do anything.

I'm doing what I can to get help for my anxiety but it's a long journey and unfortunately not as simple as just asking for help and been seen by a councellor within a week, and thats what is frustrating me at the moment. I want to work, I want to earn money, I want to have nice things, I want to go on holidays, I want to have a house, but all of these things require me getting a job and I'm actually really pretty angry that my anxiety is stopping all of that, because until that is under control I am really not mentally ready to go back in to work and I don't know when I will be. I see so many people that I know having babies, buying houses, getting a car, getting dogs, going on nice holidays and then theres just me and I have none of that. I'm not trying to sound ungrateful for what I have, I have a lovely little flat, I have an amazing fiance who would do anything for me, we have money, we go on a few weekends away each year, but I never feel like its enough. I'm always just waiting for the next thing and I always feel like even though I do have a good life, it's nothing compared to some people. I hate that I even say that and I compare myself to others, social media is evil for that sometimes but I can't help it. I know that once I get back into work we can have those things, we can finally go on holiday together, we can finally rent a house, we can finally get a dog, but it's the not knowing when those things are going to happen that is getting to me. And it's not even just that, I have no idea what job I WANT to do! Even when hopefully my anxiety is under control and I'm in a better place mentally to go back into work, I don't even know where to start. Some days I think maybe I should go back to uni? Train to be a teacher or something? It's always been something that has interested me but regardless of my anxiety, do I really have the confidence for that? probably not. Should I go back into an office job? I enjoyed my last job when it came to the actual work and I was bloody good at it, but it's finding one in the first place and not everywhere is going to be as small as the last place I was at and I don't do well with loads of people and big teams. Should I just hope I can turn my blog into my job? I would love to call this my job one day but it's unlikely to ever happen, there are so many bloggers out there who are better than me and earn so much more than I do from my little blog. I'm so proud of my blog at the moment, I actually think it's the best it's ever been but I don't do this for money, I do it because I love it, and would it be the same if this was my job? I don't know. So what else is there? Socially I'm not that good so I could never work in somewhere really public so I feel pretty limited. I just honestly have no idea what to do with my life and it's getting me down. I know I'm only 22 and I'm aware that is SO young but I've always felt mentally about 30 so for me, having a house and a car and having kids doesn't feel like it should be a million miles away, I'm ready now and it's so annoying knowing I can't have those things yet while everyone else around me can.

I've also been thinking recently that I just don't even want to live in Sheffield anymore. I'm completely re-assessing everything and what I want, and I don't know if being here is that anymore. If you've read my blog for a while you'll know we lived in Leicester for a while and as much as we both loved it, Sheffield was always home. Now, I find myself thinking more and more about Leicester and how that is actually home. That's where we should still be. I don't know whats really here for us anymore, George has such a good job and that would be the reason at the moment we wouldn't move back or elsewhere but apart from a few family members and friends, there's nothing keeping us here. We both feel so seperate from so many people and it's just a bit sad sometimes being in the same city and feeling so alone. We love that it is just us two most of the time, we're a proper little team but at times like Christmas and Easter it's quite obvious a lot of people don't give us a second thought, and that's pretty shit when you haven't really done anything wrong. It's just us two and so why should we stay here? I can guarantee most people wouldn't even notice if we moved, let alone care or stay in touch. I don't know, it all probably sounds stupid but I just don't know what the right thing is anymore.

I'd like to think one day I'll look back on this post and laugh because everything has got so much better, but part of me wonders if this is just how my life is supposed to be, okay but nothing compared to most. I don't know, do you ever feel like your having a bit of a crisis? Are you ever not sure where your life is going? I think I'm just a bit all over the place at the moment and I'm really hoping things start to look up soon because feeling like is and seeing so many good things happening to others on social media, is just draining.

Tuesday, 25 April 2017

Last week I found out I'd won a giveaway I entered on Kirstys blog, I never win anything so it literally made my day! I'm not sure if many people normally do a post on what they won in a giveaway, or not that I've seen anyway but I love everything so much and I really wanted to show you everything she sent me! First of all if you haven't already go and check out Kirstys blog because it is so good, I've included the link at the start of this post. I look forward to her posts everyday and her photography is just #goals!

So, the first thing I got was two 2 discount codes, one for Adam & Eco and one for BuyWaxMelts. They're both the same company but they sell different things on each site. From Adam & Eco I got the Bath Bomb Gift Set Box for just £5. This has 6 mixed bath bombs in and is just perfect. I adore having a hot bubble bath and I tend to get bath bombs from Lush but they can be a bit pricey so really 6 for just £5 is a bargain. From BuyWaxMelts I ordered loads and loads of wax melts for my burner that we have in the living room. I got two mixed gift boxes, each has 9 wax melts in. It was £3.50 for a box of 9 or £5 for two boxes so I went for two, you can never have too many can you? As a little extra I also ordered a Cherry Bakewell wax melt and a Caramel Shortbread melt, I wasn't sure what would be included in the mixed boxes and these were two I knew I wanted and they were only 40p each! I'm sure I'll do a full blog post on these at some point, I'm so excited to use everything.

Everything else that was included in the giveaway arrived on Friday and there was:

I honestly love everything and just feel so lucky that I won because things like this don't happen often to me. The Body Shop is one of my favourite stores and I am always stocking up on their shower gels so I can't wait to add these to my stash, the Fuji Green Tea is one I'm currently using anyway and it smells so good. Everyone needs notebooks and I am obsessed with these two! They are so cute and will definitely make a good photo prop until I find something to use them for! I'm excited to use the facemask and the lipbalm, my skin has been so bad the last few weeks after been really clear for ages which is annoying so I can't wait to have a proper pamper night and use this. I'd not heard of the Spongedry until Kirsty posted a review a few weeks ago and it sounds really good so I can't wait to get using that, I'm sure that's something I'll do a blog post on at some point. Lastly more Wax Melts which smell amazing! I know I've just ordered loads with my voucher but I'm still looking forward to using these, I have candles on all the time so I love how many I'm going to have now!

I'm not sure if this is something many people will be interested in but I really wanted to write about everything I got as I love it all so much! Look out for a few blog posts in the future of some of the things I won, I'm really excited to try everything out.

Monday, 24 April 2017

A few weeks ago the very kind people at Goupie sent me some delicious chocolate to try out and review. Goupie is basically a delicious and very moreish chewy chocolate confection which has a hint of crunch and is topped with fine dark Belgian chocolate. I thought it sounded amazing and something I would love, and luckily I was right, I have become a bit obsessed with these!

Goupie are all about delivering flavour but from the beginning they wanted to make sure it was affordable and that the product was always the priority, making sure it's tasty and appeals to everyone. Goupie actually first started over 50 years ago and is a genuine family recipe which I think is really lovely. Janet Simpson refined the original goupie into a whole range of yummy flavours, which are all made by hand and cut into triangular pieces. Some of the flavours you can get aside from Original are:

I was sent the Original and the Mint, both of which I was so excited to try! I love anything Mint flavoured, so I was really intrigued to see how these would taste!

The first I tried was the Original which I actually think tastes really similar to Tiffin which I just love so much! Tiffin is basically like Rocky Road just without the marshmallows, and I'm pretty sure it's also known as or is similar to Biscuit Cake and I thought the texture of these was really similar to that. Chewy and Crunchy. I loved the flavour of the chocolate these are coated in, it's dark but it's definitely not bitter or sharp which I find with some dark chocolate. These were so moreish and I found myself eating one after the other!

I was so happy to have received the Mint Goupie to try because I am obsessed with any sort mint chocolate! It's one of my favourites and something I reach for all the time. I loved these because they had a strong peppermint flavour but it wasn't too much, if that makes sense. I find sometimes mint chocolate can be a bit overpowering but these were perfect. I think these are the perfect after dinner treat as they're not too heavy and filling but fill that need for a sweet treat that I always get at night.

Aswell as the taste of both of these, I also love the packaging! I love that it's quite simple but stands out and I know I'd be drawn to these if I saw them in a shop. I think these are the perfect size aswell and you get a decent amount of chocolates in each box for only £4! These would make perfect gifts for people at Christmas and birthdays. I always like to get people a box of chocolates for both occassions but I'm always stuck with what to get and I hate getting the same for people year after year so I know I'll definitely be looking for these again in the future. They're just a bit different but I think they have a flavour everyone would like. I don't think I could pick between the Original and the Mint as they were both so nice and I know I'd buy them both!

Overall I was really impressed with the boxes I tried from Goupie. Both flavours were delicious and I loved how unique they were to all the other chocolate I'm used to! If you want to try anything from Goupie, check our their website here. You can order chocolates online or you can check your area on the website to see if anywhere near you stocks them!

*I was sent two boxes to review, I only ever work with brands relevant to me and my blog.

Friday, 21 April 2017

Todays post is all about these Peach and Prosecco Wax Melts and also the Reed Diffuser from Tesco. As soon as I saw Tesco had this range a few months ago I knew I had to get my hands on it.

Peach and Prosecco is just everything. I love anything that smells like peaches, (YANKEE CANDLE SUMMER PEACH YESSSS) and also I was obsessed with a prosecco candle last year and I thought this one would be just as good, if not better. I saw that Tesco were doing wax melts, reed diffusers and small candles on a few peoples instagrams recently and as we're not really near a big Tesco, the only way I could get them was to do a grocery online shop. So that's what I did. To be fair, we did need quite a big shop one week so it all fitted quite well, and I managed to order the wax melts and the reed diffuser. The reed diffuser was £3 and the wax melts were £2.50.

As soon as they arrived I put the reed diffuser in the bathroom and seriously it now smells amazing. I always like to have something like that in the bathroom, partly because it looks nice on the windowsill and because it keeps everything smelling fresh and clean. It's supposed to last up to 6 weeks which I'm really hoping it does because I know these are limited edition and I'm not sure I'll be able to get them again. I love how sweet this smells and it does linger for hours and hours.

As I have so many wax melts at the moment to get through, I only got round to using one of these last week and I definitely think the reed diffuser is much stronger than the wax melts. It was still really nice but just not the strongest wax melt I've ever used, it didn't really fill the room like a lot of others I have which is a shame. I'm still glad I got some though, I might try putting two of these in the burner and see if that makes any difference.

I definitely think I'd get another of the Reed Diffusers if I saw them in Tesco and I know they do quite a few other scents so I'd like to see what they smell like too! Even though the wax melts are the strongest I've ever used, they are nice and I'm glad I got them.

Thursday, 20 April 2017

Last week I made a Pizza Pasta Bake for the first time and seriously it was one of the best meals I have ever made! I am the carb queen and can eat ALL the pasta so any meal with it makes me happy and when it tastes like pizza? Even better. This looks like it contains a lot of ingredients but a lot of it is just seasoning, really all it has in it apart from that is chicken, pepperoni, pasta and cheese. All the delicious food.

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

2 chicken breasts

8 slices of hot pepperoni

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

400ml of beef stock

Sprinkle of chipotle chilli flakes

Sprinkle of garlic powder (you could use fresh instead)

1 tsp of chilli powder

1 tsp of italian herbs

Salt & pepper
160g of penne pasta

50g of grated cheese

Method:

1. Cut chicken breasts into chunks and fry in frylight until cooked through

Wednesday, 19 April 2017

Last week I was very kindly sent a box of brownies and blondies to try from the people at Deliciously Guilt Free. I know, baked goods delivered to your door? YES PLEASE! Who wouldn't want that?

Deliciously Guilt Free sell a range of low carb, low sugar, gluten free, high fibre brownies and blondies. Personally I've always thought if something is lacking in these things then they're likely to not taste good or to just taste a bit weird, but how wrong was I. I genuinely loved every single thing I tried and these have proven to me that you can eat brownies that are healthy and they can taste amazing!

The first one I tried was the Chocolate & Walnut. I thought this would be really similar to the Graze Brownie and it was, just had more of a nutty flavour which I enjoyed. I think nuts go really well in brownies and these have made me want to add some next time I make my own! I liked that this one had quite a cakey texture as I prefer brownies that are more like mini cakes rather than really fudgy. These contain 90% cocoa dark chocolate, coconut oil and cocoa and are only 167 calories which I think is amazing for a brownie.

Next I tried the Salted Caramel & Nut Blondies. I've got a real thing for Blondies at the moment and I've made them quite a few times recently so I was really excited for this. These were really rich and buttery and like the walnut brownies, had a strong nut flavour, which again I loved. The caramel taste came through afterwards which was nice and I think the two flavours went together so well. These are made with sugar free caramel sauce and are 214 calories.

Another brownie to try, this time the Chia one which out of all of them I was a bit sceptical about. I've never tried anything with Chia in and I've never added it to anything so I really didn't know what to expect but I honestly really enjoyed this. This brownie was definitely more fudgy rather than cakey but I still loved it. It was really rich and I couldn't eat much of it in one go but I suppose thats a good thing for people like me who love brownies and can eat loads in one go. These are the healthiest in the box and full of energy and fibre. They are made with ground chia, virgin coconut oil and 90% pure dark chocolate and each brownie has only 138 calories.

The last one I tried was the Peanut Butter Blondie. I love baking with peanut butter so adding these to Blondies, you're onto a winner with me. I loved the texture of this one and it tasted delicious. I don't know why I loved it so much, I just did. I love how strong the peanut flavour was and as it's not something I have a lot, it was a really nice treat. These only have 186 calories so like the other 3 are perfect for a mid day treat or an evening snack.

I know the picture might make these look quite small but don't let that put you off, they are so filling! As they were so rich and filling, you really wouldn't need anything else sweet for a while. I think these are brilliant if you're trying to eat a bit healthier but struggle to cut out the chocolate and cakes (as I do). One of these would sort that right out and they're full of good stuff so no need to worry about them being full of processed things.

Overall I was so impressed with this box and wouldn't hesitate to order from Deliciously Guilt Free in the future. I enjoyed every flavour. If you're wanting to try any of these, you can get boxes of each flavour (you can choose, either 4 or 8) or if you're not sure and want to try them all, the mixed box I got is available for £7.99. I think this box is great if you like the sound of them all but can't decide which one to get and I think this box would actually be really good as a little gift for someone.

Check our their website here for more information on their products and prices.

Have you ever tried anything from Deliciously Guilt Free?

I was sent a box of brownies and blondies to try, as always I only work with brands relevant to me and my blog, these were genuinely amazing*

Tuesday, 18 April 2017

I've had this post planned for so long but I've had so many others I've wanted to get out first so I've unfortunately only just got round to it. I've got quite a few beauty posts planned for the next month or so (a lot for me anyway) and I've posted a few already recently which is quite unlike me. I've rediscovered some makeup products and I've also got some new that I wanted to blog about so thats why you can expect quite a few beauty posts soon! Todays is about my 2 must have lipsticks, one is Rimmel and one Barry M, 2 of my favourite brands!

The first one I wanted to talk about is this Rimmel Kate Moss Nude 48 one. I bought this so long ago and proper fell in love with it, it's just the perfect nude shade and is really subtle which I like. I definitely don't like to wear darker shades on my lips, I'm just not confident enough and I feel like a bold lip obviously really stands out. I like really subtle pink and nude shades and this Rimmel one is just perfect. Aswell as how it looks, this lipstick also feels so nice! It's really smooth and creamy, applies really well and my lips don't feel dry at all. I like to pair this one up with the Barry M lipstick below. This is £5.49 at the moment at Superdrug.

The Barry M lipstick I love is this one in the shade 168 which from looking online I'm pretty sure is called Truffle Shuffle. I couldn't find it anywhere on the lipstick and it was ages ago I got this but it's still available to buy. I like this because it's bit darker than the Rimmel one but still isn't out there. The colour payoff of the Barry M lipsticks is brilliant, I really don't put a lot of this on, literally a few dabs does the job. Like the Rimmel lipstick, this feels really nice on my lips. These have shea butter in and you can really tell they do, it makes my lips feel so soft and it's not drying at all. This is £4.99 at the moment at Superdrug which I think is a really good price for a decent lipstick that looks and feels good.

I am always impressed with Rimmel and Barry M so it's no surprise I love both of these. These are both staples in my makeup bag now and I genuinely get a bit excited to use them when I do my makeup!

Monday, 17 April 2017

It's been a while since I last did a weekend post and even though this weekend was a quiet one, I still thought it was a nice one to write about. With it being Easter we had planned to have a chilled weekend in, eating loads of food and just spending some quality time together. The last few weeks I've really not been well and I've spent most days in bed, being ill makes my anxiety a million times worse aswell so its generally just been crap. I've had so much to deal with but this weekend was the first one in a while where I've actually felt normal and a bit like my old self.

We started off the Easter weekend with a tapas night which was so nice. I thought about it a few weeks ago but until this weekend I've not wanted to cook or even had the energy to so once I started to feel better, I knew I had to make this. It was basically a selection of different foods and even though its probably not the best tapas meal you've ever seen, for a homemade one from scratch I thought it was pretty good! I made Spanish Meatballs, Patatas Bravas, Paella and Warm Crusty Bread with butter.

In case you're wanting to recreate it the spanish meatballs were made with 250g of mince, 1 tsp of chipotle chilli flakes, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of cumin powder, italian herbs and salt and pepper. Just mix all the ingredients together and form into meatballs, bake in a 200 degree oven for around 40 minutes. For the Patatas Bravas, I basically made roast potatoes - just peeled and chopped 2 baking potatoes, boiled them for 10 minutes then cooked in the oven for around an hour. I then put these and the meatballs on a plate for us to pick from and the sauce I put in a bowl so we could get however much we wanted. The sauce was made with 1 tin of chopped tomatoes and a little bit of chilli powder, chipotle chilli flakes, salt and pepper. I let this simmer for about half an hour so it became quite thick sauce. Then there was the paella which I actually have a full recipe for so I'll leave a link to that here if you want to know how to make that. I made way too much this time! and then I just did some part baked crusty rolls in the oven for 10 minutes.

I was so happy with how the meatballs turned out, I don't normally like making my own but these were full of flavour and I'll definitely be making them again. The warm crusty bread was amazing with it all - BREAD IS MY FAVE.

We didn't do much for the rest of the night or sunday, we just wanted to spend our time relaxing watching tv so thats what we did. We're so obsessed with Bates Motel at the moment so on Sunday we finally finished Series 3. I've liked every series of it but I think Series 3 is where it started to get really good and it has all just become so much more intense and weird. I think it's such a brilliant show, series 4 is now on Netflix so we have to start that soon. Aswell as watching a load of TV and films this weekend, I did manage to get some blogging done which was so needed. Even though I've been posting the last few weeks while I've not been feeling myself, I've not really had the motivation to write and I always like to have quite a few posts written so I do feel like I've fallen a bit behind. Friday night I managed to get 5 written which I was so pleased with, I'm hoping I can carry on now and get back into it properly.

Obviously the main thing this weekend was all the chocolate! I've been having creme eggs, mini eggs etc for weeks already but its not the same until the actual day. My main Easter Egg this year was Golden Eggs which I love, Georges was a snickers one and I also got us lots of little bits like malteaser bunnies and creme egg twisters which I am obsessed with! I wanted to include a picture of one of my other Easter Eggs this year, the best one ever - Trolls! I actually got this ages ago, as soon as it was in the shops, I wanted it for the mug really but I still wanted to include it in this post. I just love Easter, I always feel sad when its over and all the chocolate starts to go from the shops!

I did us a slow cooker chicken casserole for tea on Sunday which was the best and the perfect end to the weekend! I am seriously a bit obsessed with it. It's so easy to make in the slow cooker and with dumplings and mash, it's just incredible. I thought it was an easy thing to make to try and get me back into cooking again and it was so nice.

I don't really think there's much else to say about this weekend, it was just a really quiet one but that was nice and very much needed. Sometimes you need a weekend to just recharge and not do much. I'm hoping things are on the up now and hopefully will just keep on getting better! Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend, let me know what you got up to in the comments and also what easter eggs you got! As I predicted mines almost all gone now!

Friday, 14 April 2017

I'm well and truly an Autumn & Winter girl, there is nothing I love more than cosying up on the sofa with a cup of tea, a blanket and a movie while it's pouring down with rain. But I am trying to enjoy the warmer months a bit more and I really don't want to spend this Spring and Summer complaining because there are some really lovely things about both seasons. They will never be my favourite but there is something good in everything and there are definitely some benefits to some of the things Spring brings.

Lighter Evenings

As much as I love it when it starts going dark at 4pm, it's not always practical if I'm out! I don't really like walking by myself or with others in the dark and even though I'm sure my area is safe, I feel much more comfortable during the warmer months. Something I've been really enjoying because of the lighter evenings recently has been going to bed quite early and watching tv in there with the blinds slightly open. I love the colour of the sky when the sun is setting and it makes the room look so pretty. One thing I can't forget about the lighter evenings is that is gives me so much more time to take blog photos! I'm sure a lot of bloggers will agree trying to take a pretty flatlay in the winter is a nightmare so as soon as spring hits and the lighter evenings start, we have so much more time! No need to rush to get that perfect picture when a bit of sun hits in the afternoon or to try and take as many as possible in one go when it's a nice day, most days are perfect now for pictures.

Pretty Flowers

I love love love seeing pretty flowers all over my Instagram during the spring months. Everyone's taking pictures of blossom and daffodils and I just love it. For me autumn leaves are lovely and I enjoy seeing them all over the ground so much in the later months but you can't say all the trees, flowers and parks don't look amazing in the warmer months can you? I find in Spring I buy so many more flowers, they make a pretty good blog prop but also just brighten up my kitchen.

Easter Chocolate

I saved the best til last. Easter Chocolate is basically the highlight of my year. I look forward to seeing the first creme egg in the shop every year and I pretty much start on it all as soon as it's available. I also stock up so I don't run out quite so quickly. I just love Easter Eggs, they are literally the best things ever and you can really never have too many. Who couldn't love all the chocolate available at this time of year - creme eggs, mini eggs, golden eggs, caramel eggs, ALL THE CHOCOLATE!

I think just the chocolate alone makes me enjoy Spring just that bit more. Do you love Spring? If so what do you love about it? I'd love to know.

Thursday, 13 April 2017

I feel like this is going to be one of those posts I come back and read just because I've put Red Pop in it, the best drink ever! I genuinely love every single one of these posts I do, I just love all the food!

Red Pop - How could I do one of these posts without mentioning something I have been so obsessed with recently - Red Pop. I bought this a few weeks ago (american food haul here) from American Fizz online, it's the first place I've found it in so long and I'm so happy about that because I was obsessed with it a few years ago. I don't know why I love it so much, I just do. It takes me back to summer 2012 and I just feel so happy when I have it. It's a strawberry flavour fizzy drink, very similar to cherryade, so refreshing and one I need to get more of for summer!

Spicy Mini Potatoes - I love coming up with new meals but I'm always so stuck with what side to do. I love rice but I don't want it every night, same goes for pasta, and for some reason my homemade chips just don't go right anymore. So a few weeks ago I thought I would try something new, mini spicy potatoes. I know they sound like the most simple thing, and they were but I had never attempted to make my own before. When I was sent some Cheshire Farm products to review last year, my absolute favourite were the mini spicy potatoes but it's took me until now to recreate them! For these I used 2 smallish baking potatoes, a tsp of chilli powder, salt, pepper and quite a lot of Chipotle Chilli Flakes. I cut the potatoes into small pieces, boiled for 10 minutes then put in the oven for around an hour covered in all the seasoning. They were nice and crispy, spicy and went so well with our chilli. So happy I made these.Hoots Snacks - I recently did a review of these Hoots Snacks that I was sent, but I got so addicted to them, I had to mention them in one of these posts. They were basically croutons which I love! Can be eaten like crisps but taste like bread, YES! The perfect thing for me. My absolute favourite flavour was the pickled onion but I love all that I was sent. If you see these in a shop, get them, they are delicious. Full review here if you would like to know more about them.

Bean Salad - This was a bit of a random thing I made recently after seeing something similar on Instagram, it's basically just kidney beans, red onion, chickpeas and green beans with some salad dressing, and it tastes so good. I boiled the kidney beans, chickpeas and green beans for around 10 minutes, drained then put into a tupperware with a red onion which I'd chopped finely, mixed in about 2 tbsp low fat salad dressing and kept it in the fridge. I loved having this with a jacket potato, cheese and some cajun chicken for lunch.

Combos - Another thing I featured in my American Food Haul are Combos, which are insane. They are basically pretzels and who doesn't love pretzels? but these are filled with cheese! This is the pizzeria flavour so they had a pizza flavour centre and they were delicious. Once I opened the bag I couldn't stop, I really wish I'd bought more. You can loads of different flavoured combos, they do sweet and savoury.

Lasagne - I don't know why but recently I've become so obsessed with lasagne. I can go ages and ages without making it but over the last two weeks I think I've made it like 3 times! We had it for the first time in months in March and since then I've been thinking about it all the time and it's been on each weeks meal plan. I know chips aren't the best for you, well not oven chips but I have been loving having them with lasagne, they go so well together!

What food have you been loving this week? Do you like the look of anything I've mentioned?

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

I don't do beauty reviews that often, mainly because I don't really know what I'm talking about but I've bought a few new bits recently and I think they're all worthy of a blog post. Todays is about the Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit. Ordinarily this wouldn't be something I would buy, I love my Seventeen Contour Kit too much and would always repurchase that if I needed a replacement, but this came free with an order recently and I'm actually really impressed.

I love my current Contour kit as its so quick to use but it doesn't give me loads of definition, I do have a very round face though at the moment! so I was really intrigued to see if this would be able to give me that - and it did! I think it's because with this kit you get a bronzer and a darker powder to create even more definition whereas my current kit just has a bronzer to contour with and a highlighter.

Step 1, 2 & 3

I found it a bit odd that highlighter was first but I don't use it a lot so I really didn't know much about it! The highlighter is really subtle which is good but on the other hand I did find with this I had to build it up quite a lot for it to show at all.

I love the bronzer in this kit, it gives such a nice glow! I apply this to my cheeks, the sides of my nose and a little on my forehead and really blend it in with my powder brush. I've found it's really pigmented so when it goes on it can be quite a shock at first and you think what have I done? I start off very lightly and add more if I feel like I need it rather than going straight in there and needing to blend for ages.

After bronzer I add some of the darker shade to the hollows of my cheeks, like the bronzer it's pigmented so I really try not to get too much on my brush. Aswell as the hollows of my cheeks, I also brush some under my chin and around my jaw and thats where I've noticed a massive difference. I like to go over it with my powder brush after adding some blusher, making sure it doesn't look like I've covered my cheeks in bronzer. I always get paranoid my bronzer looks muddy or just slapped on so I really take time to buff it all in.

So in terms of the finished look it gives me and the three steps, I'm really impressed. I love the bronzer step and that combined with the contouring has made a big difference to how I look and feel. It does take more time than my current routine, there are more steps and I do like to blend it a lot but I think it's worth it and it really has made me feel so good when I've gone out after using this.

Another thing I really like about this kit is the packaging. That's a big thing for me when choosing what to get, things have to look pretty, instagrammable and not be too chunky. This is quite a thin palette, perfect for travelling and fits in my makeup bag really well. The only downside to this is that theres no mirror anywhere. They've chosen to put the instructions where it would go, which I do really like and did need but once you know what you're doing, theres no need for them really is there? So even though this is good for travelling, you'd still need a mirror with you.

Overall I think it's a brilliant palette, the highlighter isn't the best I've ever used but it's rare I put it on anyway so really that doesn't matter. The darker colours are perfect for me and actually do make a difference. In terms of how long it lasts, I can put this on in the morning before going out and I've found it'll still be on by the evening.

I'll definitely be getting more use out of this in summer and turning to this more than my Seventeen palette when I have a bit more time to get ready. It's currently £6.49 at Boots and Superdrug and both usually have some sort of offer on when you spend over a certain amount.

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

I first saw this idea on Ashleigh's blog a few weeks ago and I knew it was one I had to do! I've always wondered about what I'd do if I won the lottery and even though it's extremely unlikely to ever happen, I can dream can't I?!

1. Buy A House

The first thing I would do is buy a house. I really want a place to call my own without the worry of a landlord wanting to sell, and being able to do it up how I want too without needing permission. It's always good to get on the properly ladder but at the moment for people my age it's near enough impossible so the priority would be finding a forever home. Ideally it would have 5 bedrooms, a big garden, a huge kitchen with an island and I'd have a pinterest worthy office!

2. Start My Own Business

I love the idea of having my own bakery one day and having the money to invest and make it amazing. I'd like to go to classes to get better at baking aswell as finding a little team to run it with. I just love the thought of a little bakery with my name on the front selling cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, pies, just all sorts of stuff. It's the only real thing work wise I could see myself enjoying, getting to do something I love everyday.

3. Adopt Lots Of Dogs

I know this doesn't necessarily cost money but caring for them does, food, beds, vet bills etc. I'd be in a house big enough for a family and lots of pets and it's my dream to have a home full of kids and dogs. There are so many animals waiting to be adopted so I would take as many as possible and just shower them with love.

4. Buy Flats In My Favourite Places

Aswell as buying a family home I would love to buy a flat in London. It's my favourite place and it would be amazing to have a place there that I could stay whenever I wanted to go for a few days. I could literally get a train there whenever and not have to worry. Aswell as having a place like that for me I would also love to buy a few flats and rent them out. I think investing in property would be a really wise thing to do with the money. I've always loved the idea of having lots of small flats or houses in lots of my favourite places.

5. Save

I envy people who have enough money leftover each month to save. I think having money saved that can be used in emergencies is such a lifesaver and would be such a comfort. If I won the lottery I wouldn't need to worry about money but I'd still like to save. You never know when something might happen which requires money and it would be amazing to just have some there ready. I'd also love to save as much as possible for the future meaning one day I wouldn't need to work, or maybe mean I could be part time instead, while raising a family. If I had kids I'd also love to have money aside for them so when they leave home they don't have to struggle, or if they choose to, have some so they can go travelling.

I think that's about everything I'd do if I won the lottery. I'm sure I'd buy a nice car too and I think they'd have to be a few holidays aswell but the priority would be buying a house and investing some of it!

Monday, 10 April 2017

I've wanted to do this post for so long but there were a few nail polishes I wanted to try out properly first and trying to take photos on a phone that only works when it wants too, is extremely difficult! Anyway, I am obsessed with painting my nails and I am typically someone who sticks with the purples, reds and black colours in the Autumn and Winter but as soon as it comes to Spring and Summer, I'm all about the pinks, blues and oranges! So I thought I would do a post with a few of my nail favourites which I think are all perfect for the warmer months and the summer holidays!

Barry M Coconut Infusion 'Bikini'

This is a new one to my collection but one I know will be a Spring favourite. This is in between a turquoise colour and a mint green, which I think is perfect if you're going away on holiday over the next few months. I think it will go so well on toes too to pair with some strappy sandals. This required two coats, is really opaque and dries so quickly. A perfect one to apply if you're in a rush and don't want bare nails.

Barry M Coconut Infusion 'Flamingo'

Another one of the new Barry M Coconut Infusion collection, the shade Flamingo is a peachy, orange shade and looks so good on. This colour just screams holidays to me! Like the Bikini one, it requires two coats and dries very quickly. Both of the Coconut Infusion last for ages too, so again another reason why it's perfect for a holiday.

Essie 'Tart Deco'

This is one is a bit of a staple in my nail polish collection now, I can't imagine not having it as it's one I turn to a lot in Spring! I'm going to do a full post on this because I love it so much but in short, it's a bright pink that goes with just about anything. I usually get at least a week without chipping at all.

Essie 'Chinchilly'

Steering away from the pinks and oranges for a second, I think a subtle colour like Chinchilly is a great one for Spring. It's not as dark as ones you might wear in winter but if you're not into the out there spring and summer colours, this might be the one for you. It's a sleek grey polish which I think always looks sophisticated on and it's just a classic. It's one I always go back too. Like with most Essie polishes, minimal chipping and lasts ages.

Rimmel Salon Pro 'Rock n Roll'

I might go for more reds in the colder months, but I don't think you can really go wrong with a classic red all year round. A red like this is one that looks good whenever and I think this in particular would look lovely if you're going away. The Rimmel Rock n Roll shade lasts at least a week with two coats, very little chipping and just looks so good on.

Barry M 'DragonFruit'

This is a baby pink colour which out of all of them, I think is the best for Spring. It reminds me of blossom falling from trees and lots of pretty flowers. It just screams Spring to me. This is one of the Barry M Gelly polishes so you get longer wear out of this than you might a normal polish, it gives a lovely sheen when dry and like most Barry M polishes, very little chipping. I just love this one.

So thats my Spring Nail picks, I love them all so much and can't wait to get wearing them all over the next few months.

Friday, 7 April 2017

This is a bit of an unplanned post but a few weeks ago I placed an order on an American food site and once it arrived, I took some pictures and thought why not do a haul? It's a bit different but I personally love seeing things like this and seeing what food others like!

So, a few years ago before I moved away for uni with George, we had a full summer where we saw each most days and every so often we would buy some American food from a shop in town. It was quite new and they did so much stuff and I basically got addicted to Faygo Red Pop. Literally the best drink ever! but that shop closed down and since then I've struggled to find it anywhere. I think there was one time George managed to order some but then it disappeared again online, until now! I looked on American Fizz and they had it in stock so was no way I wasn't getting any. I ended up ordering 5 cans which I don't think is that extreme (I wanted loads) and they were about 70p each. I don't even know why this tastes so good, it just does. It's says on the can it's strawberry soda and I suppose that sums it up. It's a bit like cherryade, really sweet and is amazing ice cold from the fridge. I always feel a bit nostalgic when I have this because it takes me back to summer 2012 when we would have picnics in the garden and the first proper year of us being together.

Something else I loved a few years ago and haven't found anywhere since is White Kit Kats. I'm pretty sure you can get White Kit Kat Chunkys or you have been able to in the past but they're just not the same. These are my absolute favourite and were 99p I think.

One of the last things I ordered was Pizza flavour combos which are basically cheesy pretzels! As much as I love sweet stuff, any sort of crisps or savoury food is a winner for me and these again are something we used to have that summer. These were 99p for a small bag but they do lots of flavours and bigger packs for about £2.50. The final thing was something which George saw, Coffee Nut M&M's. I'm not a big fan of coffee at all but George loves it so these were the perfect thing for him!

I think all together with postage it was about £15 but so worth it, I have waited for Red Pop for SO long.

Anyway, I know this was a bit of a random post but Red Pop and White Kit Kats are too good to not blog about!

Thursday, 6 April 2017

Chilli is one of my all time favourite meals, I could have it every week and never get bored but I do like to change things up a bit so when I saw this idea a few weeks ago, I knew it was one I had to make and blog about! I very rarely buy Sweet Potato, it's okay but given the choice between that or normal mash/roasties/chips, I'd choose the latter anyday. I do know it's really good for you though and I thought this would be an easy way to incorporate it into my meal without really noticing as I make really spicy chilli. I also want to start having more meat free meals aswell so this seemed like a perfect start to that!

Ingredients: (to serve 2)

1 onion, diced

1 pepper, chopped

2 sweet potatoes

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of kidney beans

1 beef stock cube and 400ml of water

Italian herbs

Chilli Powder

Cumin powder

Salt & Pepper

Rice

Method:

1. Chop sweet potato into chunks and put into a baking tray with salt, pepper and a tsp of chilli powder

2. Bake in a 200 degree oven for around 40-45 minutes

3. While sweet potato is cooking, add the chopped onion and pepper to a frying pan

4. Soften before adding in a tsp of chilli powder and cumin

5. When onion and pepper is soft, add in chopped tomatoes, kidney beans and 400ml of beef stock

6. Give it a good stir, add in salt, pepper, italian herbs and however much cumin and chilli powder you like, depends on how spicy you want it to be

7. Leave to simmer for around 30 minutes the add in the cooked sweet potato

8. Stir in the sweet potato and then serve, I always do chilli with plain rice but you can serve with whatever you like

I ended up making this a bit too spicy so next time I think all I would do different is add less chilli powder! The sweet potato went really well though and I'll definitely be making this again soon.

Wednesday, 5 April 2017

When I went to see my first west end show in November 2016, which was Wicked, I felt such a buzz afterwards. I completely fell in love with the feeling it gave me and the atmosphere was amazing. Now I've been to see one show, it's made me want to go and see so many more! There are 5 I would really like to see so I thought I would write about them and hopefully get some opinions from others on what else I should see. I would love to know if you've seen anything on the west end and what you recommend!

The Curious Case Of The Dog In The Nighttime

Last year we were trying to decide on what the first show would be that we would see in London and I was really keen on this one. We went with Wicked in the end which I don't regret at all but I would still really like to see this one day. It's about a boy who finds a dead dog at night and how he tries to work out who did it. He is brilliant at maths but doesn't do very well with day to day things and doesn't trust many people so it's all about his journey to figure out who the murderer is and it ends up turning his life upside down. The story is definitely out there and so different from anything else on the West End but I love things like that are unique and this has had brilliant reviews. I think this ends in Summer so it's unlikely I'll see it before then but hopefully one day.

Les Miserables

I don't really know anything about this show and I haven't seen the film either but it's always been on my list and one I've always thought would be a must see. 'Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Miserables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption - a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.' I just think it sounds so interesting and probably quite emotional. I've heard a few of the songs and I just think they'd be amazing to hear live.

School of Rock

This is one of those films that I always go ages without watching, and it's definitely not one of my favourite ever but I do always enjoy it and I think it's one that would be brilliant to see on stage. I remember first watching the film when I was younger so I would love to see it sort of come to life on stage. It's still quite new to the west end and it's had really good reviews so this is one I would love to see soon.

Mamma Mia

After watching the film again last week, it's made me want to go and see the show so much! This is one of the classic musicals thats been popular for a long time now and I would love to go and see it one day. You don't have to be the biggest fan of Abba for this but you can still enjoy all the songs and the story of it all. This is quite high on my list.

Beautiful the Carole King Musical

This is one I only heard of about a month ago and it seems quite different to the others but one I would really like to see. It's about Carole King, a music legend who sold her first hit as a teenager. By the time she was 20, she was writing songs for loads of people like Aretha Franklin and the Monkees, though she always wanted to be in the spotlight and find her own voice. When I watched the trailer for this, I was surprised at how many of the songs I actually recognised and I'm sure most people would be. This isn't one of those musicals I've seen advertised a lot or really knew anything about but I think the story sounds really interesting and I'd love to see how it all plays out.

Regardless of what we go to see next, I'll be booking way in advance! I always like to book early, get good seats and get the best deal possible. I booked a few months in advance both times I went to see Wicked, and both times we had excellent seats. There are so many websites now where you can book tickets for west end shows but one I want to mention is www.boxoffice.co.uk. They provide a secure online booking system for theatre tickets, theatre breaks, west end musicals, plays, ballet and opera. Anything you're interested in, you can find tickets for on there. You can get tickets for all of the shows I've mentioned in this post but there are so many others too like, The Lion King, Phantom Of The Opera, Wicked, Matilda and Billy Elliot just to name a few.

So that's the five shows I would really like to see on the west end at some point. Have you seen any of them? If you have, what did you think? I would love to hear what other peoples favourite shows are or just what they would like to see in the future!

*This post is in collaboration with www.boxoffice.co.uk. I only work with brands that are relevant to me and my blog

Tuesday, 4 April 2017

As obsessed as I am with Lush I think I have only ever bought one of their Easter bath bombs and that was the Golden Egg, about 2 years ago. I was really hoping to get some this year as I recently ran out of my Christmas stash and I always need to have some Lush products in. I mentioned in this post that George got me a few presents a few weeks ago and one of them was a bath bomb! It's the Which Came First? bath bomb from the Easter range and it's one I probably wouldn't have picked up myself so I was so excited to use it!

First of all, how pretty is it?! I love how it looks. It's quite unusual and different to a lot of their other bath bombs and I'm sure I've never seen this one before. I love the pink and yellow, my two favourite colours and I knew that these two combined would be amazing. Like I mentioned in my Never Mind The Ballistics bath bomb review, these two colours just look so good in the water together.

This product splits into 3 which I think is brilliant as bath bombs can be quite expensive and you can only get one use out of them and sometimes it can feel like a bit of a waste. I love ones like this that you can split and spread it out over a few baths. Saying that though, I didn't choose to do that this time! I actually ended up dropping it on the floor that morning so I didn't really have a choice but to use it all in one go. I put all of the outer shell in the water first and let it do it's thing then I added in the yellow egg from the middle. Almost instantly so many patterns emerged from this and I just loved watching it fizz away.

Aswell as looking very pretty, in and out of the water, I have to talk about the smell of this. It has grapefruit oil in, and anything grapefruit scented is a favourite for me. I always think it's such a refreshing and uplifting scent and it's one I always like in shower gel form as it's a perfect one to wake me up in the morning. It also contains sicilian lemon oil which definitely came through and what I liked about this is that it wasn't over sweet. A lot of Lush bath bombs are really sweet, which I love but I didn't really find that with this one.

As with most Lush products, my skin felt amazing after my bath! So soft, so smooth and so clean. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did but I know it's one I'll repurchase now in the future.

Have you tried any of the Lush Easter range? What's your favourite Lush product?